LONDON (REUTERS) - China moved one step away from a second successive clean sweep of Olympic table tennis golds when their women marched to a 3-0 victory over a young Japanese team at the London Games on Tuesday.

Singles champion Li Xiaoxia fired China to their third title of the tournament from four on offer by grinding down Ai Fukuhara in the singles, before partnering Guo Yue to beat Sayaka Hirano and Kasumi Ishikawa in four sets.

In between Ding Ning thrashed Ishikawa in the second rubber.

The team's triumph in front of a passionate crowd of red-flag waving fans put the gold in Chinese hands after Guo, Wang Nan and Zhang Yining won the first team event in Beijing four years ago.